Umbrellas on Spadina

12 x 12 oil on canvas

This is one of my favorite spots along Spadina Avenue. There are always interesting people with their umbrellas getting on and off streetcars. In this scene, the CN tower can be seen in the background. 

Boldbrush painting competition, Fav 15%

12 x 12 oil on canvas

I'm pleased that my painting, "Heading Home 510 Spadina Streetcar", was selected as part of the FAV15% (jury's favorite 15% of the entries) in the March 2015 BoldBrush Painting competition. Still hoping to get into the top winning category...just have to keep trying!!


 

Toronto Skyline Reflected

 

24 x 24 oil on canvas

Often if a painting won't photograph well, its because there is something wrong with the painting. With this one, I knew I had the colour temperature and values wrong. Richard Schmid says in his book Alla Prima that if a colour looks like "mud', its not the colour that is muddy, it is the wrong temperature against the other colours on the painting. I struggled with this picture, first  tightening up too much (all those twinkly lights don't show the same intensity from far away). And I had the values and temperature wrong. (Not much right going on) I finally changed my photo reference to black and white and painted from that. I find it helps to do this in order to get a fresh look at values.

I also find that if I take a painting too seriously, and want it to look a certain way rather than letting it find its way as I paint, I will find ways to be unsuccessful.

I'm still not sure about this one...I go between sort of liking it and wanting to repaint it.
Thanks to John Tavares for the photo reference.

Cold Toronto Night

8x8 oil on canvas

Often I like to do a smaller study before taking on a large canvas. There were a lot of things I liked about this picture..the steam, the reflections and the colour combination. A small study helps in the process, but painting large is the only way to find out how it will look on a large scale.

Thanks to John Tavares for the photo reference.

Snow on Huron Street, Toronto

12 x 12 Oil on board

I loved the strong angles and abstract design in this scene. Sometimes there are items in a scene that we don't recognize and we can choose to leave them out or include them. I liked how the parking garage entrance added to the layers leading back to the CN tower and high rises in the background. Most people won't recognize this structure as a parking garage but I thought it worthy of inclusion.

This is Huron Street, looking toward Queen Street.